Artist's Statement
I create mixed media paintings and collages inspired by both the natural and manmade environment. Sometimes it is the city and its architectural forms that make their way into my paintings. At other times my work draws inspiration from the landscape and, most recently, the coastline in Devon. For the most part my paintings are not intended to depict one single location but rather become a distillation of sketchbook work, photographs and visual memories collected in different places: peeling layers of paint on an old wall in Budapest; wrought iron balconies; vibrant patterns of the Alhambra; arches and doorways. Bringing such elements together, I attempt to provoke the imagination and let the viewer go on their own journey. My more abstract work reflects the less tangible side of a place: its past, an atmosphere, noise or commotion, or microcosms within the landscape: rock stratification, red rust, weathered pebbles or patterns in the sand. Photography plays an important role not just as a method of recording but also as a way of bringing another dimension to the finished work. Fragments of photographs are manipulated, photocopied onto acetate and layered within the surface work or transferred directly on to the canvas or paper. I am always experimenting with different ways of combining materials and the surfaces of my work are often textured or layered using paper, fabric or found materials.